


The Game of Life

by Remember_to_write



Category: DCU (Comics)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-09
Updated: 2017-11-09
Packaged: 2019-01-31 05:21:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,518
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12675231
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Remember_to_write/pseuds/Remember_to_write
Summary: A single choice can change the course of the whole story.





	1. Double Jeopardy

Dick knew something was off the minute he entered his apartment. It wasn’t even that anything had been disturbed or that Y/N wasn’t home from work yet. There was just an indescribable change in the air that made him tense up.

This tension multiplied when he noticed the purple envelope that had been carefully placed on the counter. Any other time, he would have approached the mysterious packet with caution, but he knew who sent it and, judging from how quiet his apartment was, he had a good guess as to what it was about.

“ _To my favorite Bird Brain_ ,” the letter read, “ _I have taken a couple of your things, which you will probably be wanting back LOL. To reclaim one of your prizes, come to this address._ ”

Dick didn’t spend too much time wondering what the Joker meant by that. He slipped into his suit and out the window. As he hurried through the streets, he sent off a quick message to Bruce, hoping that he would get there in time to help.

The location that Joker had sent him to turned out to be an abandoned apartment building. Dick arrived at the top floor and opened the door to find a large television showing static on the screen. On the coffee table, there was a large switch. As Dick slowly approached the setup, the screen came to life.

“Well, hello there, Batbrat.” The Joker laughed, “So nice of you to join us. We are going to play a little game called ‘Who is more important?’ It should turn out to be interesting.”

His laugh became louder as the screen changed. It showed a red haired woman, who appeared to be heavily sedated, was tied to a chair.

“Barbara.” Dick gasped.

“On the first try!” Joker giggled. “Let’s see if you recognize our second contestant.”

A Y/H/C woman was bound in a similar fashion, but she appeared to be awake and fighting her restraints.

“Y/N!” Dick cried out, moving closer to the screen. Right as he reached out to touch her image, the Joker’s face appeared again.

“We got to keep things movie, Little Birdie. Wouldn’t want the timer to run down before our fun begins.” Joker giggled. “You will have 10 seconds to choose which woman you want to save. If you don’t flip the switch, both women will die.”

Panic began to fill Dick’s head as he realized what was going on. Bruce hadn’t showed up yet and he couldn’t get to them in time to save them.

“Time starts now.” Joker whispered as the screen changed. It was split between the two women, with a countdown telling him how long he had left.

The choice between who lives and who dies.

Barbara or Y/N.

Dick’s hand moved before he realized what he was doing. He blinked and realized he had turned the switch to Barbara’s side.

His heart sank as he watched the screen change. Y/N’s terrified face filled the screen before a live feed of a warehouse exploding took over. Dick could hear the explosion in the distance.

“NO!” Dick cried out as he fell to his knees. He felt a hand grip his shoulder and he turned to find Batman standing there. Bruce didn’t say a word as Dick got to his feet and collapsed against him.

“He killed her.” Dick sobbed. Bruce just patted Dick’s back, waiting for him to calm down slightly before pulling away.

“We need to go get Barbara.” Bruce said as he turned and left the room. Dick followed in silence. They located the warehouse where she was being held. She was just beginning to stir when they freed her.

“What happened? Where am I?” She asked, her speech slurring as she tried to stand.

“We’ll tell you later.” Bruce said as they helped her out of the warehouse, Dick wrapping his arm around her waist to support her.

“Tsk, I guess he isn’t even going to miss you.” Joker sighed as he watched the trio leave the view of the camera.

Y/N was silent as she watched the screen. She hadn’t realized she wasn’t in danger of exploding until Joker had rolled in a TV and turned it on, settling in with a bag of popcorn to watch “the show”.

“I would have expected a bigger scene, to be honest. You are his girlfriend, after all.” Joker said, catching a kernel in his mouth. “Oh, cheer up.” Joker said, launching a handful of the salty snack in her direction. “You could be dead.”

“Aren’t you going to kill me?” Y/N asked quietly.

“Why on earth would I do that?” The Joker asked. “You apparently weren’t important enough to save, which means you aren’t important enough to kill.” Joker dusted off his hands and stood up. He pulled out a knife and cut the ropes binding Y/N to the chair. “You are free to go.”

Y/N looked at him suspiciously. “What are you still doing here? Do you want me to murder you?” Joker laughed as he brought the knife close to her neck.

Y/N dodged the blade and got up, running towards the exit, the Joker’s laugh echoed through the building and into her head as she escaped.

She thought about going back to her apartment, but quickly decided against it. She didn’t want to run the risk of seeing Dick with Barbara in their home, so soon after her “death”.

Y/N wasn’t sure where she was going. She just kept walking, thinking about what to do, but not coming up with any sort of plan. Before she knew it, she was standing at the door of the one person she thought might be able to help her.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” Jason hissed as he pulled her inside. The apartment he lived in was in a more dangerous part of town, but his place was clean and nicely decorated. “Bruce told me you died.”

“I feel like I did, if that helps.” Y/N murmured as she sat down on Jason’s couch. Slowly, she explained what had happened, stopping and starting as tears began to slip out of her eyes. Jason sat in silence as he listened to her words. “And then I just ended up here.” Y/N finished.

“Why did you come to me though? Of all the people you know in the city, why me?” Jason asked softly.

“Because you won’t tell Dick you saw me.” Y/N said. Jason opened his mouth to say something, but Y/N cut him off. “I need your help. I want to leave. I can’t stay here after all this. Especially knowing Dick chose… her life over mine.”

Jason was silent for several moments. Then he got up and walked over to a cabinet. Opening it up, a wide array of guns gleamed in the light. He reached into the bottom of the cabinet and pulled out a box, which he turned and offered to Y/N.

“Take it.” He said. “It has a couple thousand dollars in it. More than enough to get you away and settled in a new city. It also has a burner cell, which I expect you to use to call me and tell me how you are doing.”

Y/N nodded as she got up. She walked over and gave him a quick hug. “Thank you.” She whispered before turning and leaving the room.

She left the city that night, without looking back. She started a new life in Coast City, far away from Gotham and anyone who might know her. With her, she carried a tiny secret that she hadn’t had the chance to tell anybody. Joker had grabbed her on the way back from a doctor’s appointment, during which she had found out she was pregnant.

When she settled into her new life, she had been relieved to find that the stress of being held captive and then moving to a new town had not affected the life of her unborn child.

Months went by and she could almost forget about the bad things as the looked forward to the good. At least until she opened the door to find him standing there.

She froze as she stared at him, unable to say a word. He looked… different. His hair was longer and he had stubble on his face. His eyes held a mixture of anger, relief, and another, softer emotion that Y/N didn’t want to name.

“What are you doing here?” She said, once she was finally able to speak.

“I found your texts on Jason’s phone.” He answered. “When I found out you were alive, I needed to come see you.”

“Well, you have seen me.” Y/N said, her voice turning cold. “I think it is time for you to leave now.” She tried to close the door, but Dick stopped her.

“Y/N, please.” He pleaded.

“You chose her over me, Dick. I could have died.” Y/N said firmly.

Dick tried to reach out and cup her face. “I didn’t know-”

“Didn’t know what? That I didn’t actually die? That I was pregnant with your baby when you decided my life wasn’t important?” Y/N said as she smacked his hand away. “I have had some time to think about this, time you haven’t had. I’ve decided that I forgive you, but I will be damned if I let you back into my life.”

“Our baby needs a father!” Dick argued, desperate at this point to be given any chance to stay.

“Lots of people grow up without fathers and turn out just fine.” Y/N said. “I have friends. Friends who are willing to support me and help me out. Neither me nor my baby need a man who we can’t trust.”

Dick was silent as her words sunk in. “I just want you to let me back in.” He whispered.

“Any chance of that died when the warehouse blew up.” Y/N said. “I think you should go now.”

Dick nodded silently and he released his grip on the door. “If you change your mind, you know where to find me.”

“Goodbye, Dick.” Y/N said as she closed the door. Turning Dick away was the hardest thing she had ever done, but, in the end, she knew she had made the right choice.


	2. Crossroads

Dick knew something was off the minute he entered his apartment. It wasn’t even that anything had been disturbed or that Y/N wasn’t home from work yet. There was just an indescribable change in the air that made him tense up.

This tension multiplied when he noticed the purple envelope that had been carefully placed on the counter. Any other time, he would have approached the mysterious packet with caution, but he knew who sent it and, judging from how quiet his apartment was, he had a good guess as to what it was about.

“To my favorite Bird Brain,” the letter read, “I have taken a couple of your things, which you will probably be wanting back LOL. To reclaim one of your prizes, come to this address.”

Dick didn’t spend too much time wondering what the Joker meant by that. He slipped into his suit and out the window. As he hurried through the streets, he sent off a quick message to Bruce, hoping that he would get there in time to help.

The location that Joker had sent him to turned out to be an abandoned apartment building. Dick arrived at the top floor and opened the door to find a large television showing static on the screen. On the coffee table, there was a large switch. As Dick slowly approached the setup, the screen came to life.

“Well, hello there, Bat Brat.” The Joker laughed, “So nice of you to join us. We are going to play a little game called ‘Who is more important?’ It should turn out to be interesting.”

His laugh became louder as the screen changed. It showed a red haired woman who appeared to be heavily sedated was chained to a chair.

“Barbara.” Dick gasped.

“On the first try!” Joker giggled. “Let’s see if you recognize our second contestant.”

A Y/H/C woman was chained in a similar fashion, but she appeared to be awake and fighting her restraints.

“Y/N!” Dick cried out, moving closer to the screen. Right as he reached out to touch her image, the Joker’s face appeared again.

“We got to keep things movie, Little Birdie. Wouldn’t want the timer to run down before our fun begins.” Joker giggled. “You will have 10 seconds to choose which woman you want to save. If you don’t flip the switch, both women will die.”

Panic began to fill Dick’s head as he realized what was going on. Bruce hadn’t showed up yet and he couldn’t get to them in time to save them.

“Time starts now.” Joker whispered as the screen changed. It was split between the two women, with a countdown telling him how long he had left.

The choice between who lives and who dies.

Barbara or Y/N.

Dick’s hand moved before he realized what he was doing. He blinked and realized he had turned the switch to Y/N’s side.

His heart sank as he watched the screen change. Y/N’s terrified face filled the screen before a live feed of a warehouse exploding took over. Dick could hear the explosion in the distance.

“NO!” Dick cried out as he fell to his knees. He felt a hand grip his shoulder and he turned to find Batman standing there. Bruce didn’t say a word as Dick got to his feet and collapsed against him.

“He killed her.” Dick sobbed. “I chose to save her, but he killed her anyways.” Bruce just patted Dick’s back, waiting for him to calm down slightly before pulling away.

“We need to go get Barbara.” Bruce said as he turned and left the room. Dick followed in silence. They located the warehouse where she was being held. She was just beginning to stir when they freed her.

“What happened? Where am I?” She asked, her speech slurring as she tried to stand.

“We’ll tell you later.” Bruce said as they helped her out of the warehouse, Dick wrapping his arm around her waist to support her.

“Tsk, I guess he isn’t even going to miss you.” Joker sighed as he watched the trio leave the view of the camera.

Y/N was silent as she watched the screen. She hadn’t realized she wasn’t in danger of exploding until Joker had rolled in a TV and turned it on, settling in with a bag of popcorn to watch “the show”.

“I would have expected a bigger scene, to be honest. You are his girlfriend, after all.” Joker said, catching a kernel in his mouth. “Oh, cheer up.” Joker said, launching a handful of the salty snack in her direction. “You could be dead.”

“Aren’t you going to kill me?” Y/N asked quietly.

“Why on earth would I do that?” The Joker asked. “You apparently weren’t important enough to save, which means you aren’t important enough to kill.” Joker dusted off his hands and stood up. He pulled out a knife and cut the ropes binding Y/N to the chair. “You are free to go.”

Y/N looked at him suspiciously. “What are you still doing here? Do you want me to murder you?” Joker laughed as he brought the knife close to her neck.

Y/N dodged the blade and got up, running towards the exit, the Joker’s laugh echoed through the building and into her head as she escaped.

She thought about going back to her apartment, but quickly decided against it. She didn’t want to run the risk of seeing Dick with Barbara in their home, so soon after her “death”.

Y/N wasn’t sure where she was going. She just kept walking, thinking about what to do, but not coming up with any sort of plan. Before she knew it, she was standing at the door of the one person she thought might be able to help her.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” Jason hissed as he pulled her inside. The apartment he lived in was in a more dangerous part of town, but his place was clean and nicely decorated. “Bruce told me you died.”

“I feel like I did, if that helps.” Y/N murmured as she sat down on Jason’s couch. Slowly, she explained what had happened, stopping and starting as tears began to slip out of her eyes. Jason sat in silence as he listened to her words. “And then I just ended up here.” Y/N finished.

“Why did you come to me though? Of all the people you know in the city, why me?” Jason asked softly.

“Because you won’t tell Dick you saw me.” Y/N said. Jason opened his mouth to say something, but Y/N cut him off. “I need your help. I want to leave. I can’t stay here after all this. Especially knowing Dick chose… her life over mine.”

Jason was silent for several moments. Then he got up and walked over to a cabinet. Opening it up, a wide array of guns gleamed in the light. He reached into the bottom of the cabinet and pulled out a box, which he turned and offered to Y/N.

“Take it.” He said. “It has a couple thousand dollars in it. More than enough to get you away and settled in a new city. It also has a burner cell, which I expect you to use to call me and tell me how you are doing.”

Y/N nodded as she got up. She walked over and gave him a quick hug. “Thank you.” She whispered before turning and leaving the room.

She left the city that night, without looking back. She started a new life in Coast City, far away from Gotham and anyone who might know her. With her, she carried a tiny secret that she hadn’t had the chance to tell anybody. Joker had grabbed her on the way back from a doctor’s appointment, during which she had found out she was pregnant.

When she settled into her new life, she had been relieved to find that the stress of being held captive and then moving to a new town had not affected the life of her unborn child.

Months went by and she could almost forget about the bad things as the looked forward to the good. At least until she opened the door to find him standing there.

She froze as she stared at him, unable to say a word. He looked… different. His hair was longer and he had stubble on his face. His eyes held a mixture of relief, and another, softer emotion that Y/N didn’t want to name.

“What are you doing here?” She said, once she was finally able to speak.

“I found your texts on Jason’s phone.” He answered. “When I found out you were alive, I needed to come see you.”

“Well, you have seen me.” Y/N said, her voice turning cold. “I think it is time for you to leave now.” She tried to close the door, but Dick stopped her.

“Y/N, please.” He pleaded.

“You chose her over me, Dick. I could have died.” Y/N said firmly.

“That’s just it,” He said. “I didn’t choose Babs. I chose you. Don’t you see? I have spent months mourning you because I thought he took you from me.”

Y/N’s heart jumped in her chest. Could it have been a cruel trick? Could he really have chosen her? “I don’t believe you.” She said, her voice quavering with emotion.

“I love you, darling, so much.” Dick said softly, “A part of me died when I thought you did.”

“How do I know you aren’t just here because you found out I was pregnant?” Y/N asked quietly.

Dick went slack with shock. He pushed the door open all the way and tears sprang to his eyes when he saw her rounded tummy. “I didn’t read about this on Jay’s phone.” His voice was hoarse with emotion.

Hope swelled in Y/N’s chest. If he hadn’t known about the baby, that must mean he came all this way for her. She stiffened when she felt him pull her close, but she quickly relaxed into his embrace. It wasn’t until she buried her face in his shoulder that she realized they were both crying.

“I love you.” She mumbled into his chest.

“I love you, too.” He murmured back.

Standing there on her porch, Y/N wasn’t sure how they would work things out. They would still have issues to address and problems to solve, but, with Dick’s arms once again wrapped around her, she knew that they could face them as long as they were together.

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: Can you write a dick x reader imagine where he has to choose between saving the reader(current s/o) or saving either kori or Babs?? And he’s conflicted but at the last minute he decides not to save the reader. And unknown to everyone else the reader lives thanks to some miracle and later finds out they are pregnant with dicks baby and then the media finds out Dick Grayson’s long lost S/o is alive and you can go full blast angst with this or just end it with rainbows and sunshine, your choice!


End file.
